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Service Members, Veterans & Their Families

Armed Forces Day Parade to honor veterans Saturday

May 19--A group of local veterans are working together to host Scranton's 19th annual Armed Forces Day Parade on Saturday to honor men and women in the armed forces.

Parade Chairman Joe Sylvester, who served in the Army on active duty and reserve for a total of 43 years, hopes that the parade's turnout will be larger this year than previous years.

"I'm just hoping that a lot more people will show up for the parade," he said. "This is to honor the veterans, and it's a shame that people don't come out to honor them."

He emphasized that the parade is entirely noncommercial, so it won't have any advertisements.

"It's to honor the veterans -- not to make money or have a commercial parade," Sylvester said.

Judge Thomas J. Munley is the grand marshal and Col. Gregory Peterson, the commander of Tobyhanna Army Depot, is the reviewing officer. They will lead off the parade with the National Guard color guard, Sylvester said.

Other parade participants include the Marine Wing Support Squadron, the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center, the General Dynamics Veteran Committee, the Disabled American Veterans, various VFW and American Legion posts, the American Legion Riders motorcycle group, the Sons of Nam Motorcycle Club, the Montage Mountain Classic Car Club, the Corvette Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, Lackawanna County Emergency Services and various local police and fire departments, he said.

Tobyhanna Army Depot will also have several Humvees in the parade that will be available for children to check out after the parade concludes, he said.

For music, the parade will feature nine local school marching bands as well as the Greater Scranton Black Diamonds Pipe Band -- a local bagpipe band.

The County of Lackawanna Transit System will offer free rides on all routes on Saturday, according to COLTS communication director Gretchen Wintermantel.